TCI Weekly News

PUBLISHED TCI WEEKLY NEWS
12th July 2014

The link between the health of your gums and your overall general health is a topic that has been discussed by dental professionals and doctors for a while now. Indeed, I have previously written in this column about the link between gum and heart health. Now a new study, recently published in Australia, not only supports the premise that good, basic gum hygiene treatment reduces furring of the arteries, which in turn decreases the risk of heart disease but concludes that even as little as one non-surgical gum treatment can make a difference.

PUBLISHED IN TCI WEEKLY NEWS
28th June 2014

With the rising popularity of general cosmetic procedures for the entire body, there has also been an increase in cosmetic dental procedures and new technologies are in development to enhance this area. There has recently been discussion in the UK press about a new technology in development which is hoping to replace traditional fillings and works by encouraging the teeth to repair themselves. Sounds like a good idea, I think! This idea is still in development (at least three years from launch) but it’s an interesting concept to consider and one that may benefit the health of the teeth as well as the aesthetic appearance.

PUBLISHED IN TCI WEEKLY NEWS
14th June 2014

Geriodontics is the branch of dentistry that deals with the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of dental diseases and problems specific to old people (approximately 65yrs +).

There are a number of things that can be different about geriatric dentistry to regular dentistry. This is especially true if the patient suffers from Alzheimer’s Disease, has had a stroke or has any other physical disability.

PUBLISHED IN TCI WEEKLY NEWS
31st May 2014

The Journal of the American Dental Association reports that up to 39% of dental injuries are sports related, that these injuries are twice as likely to occur in a male as a female and the most common dental injury is to the upper front teeth (incisors).

There are a number of ways the teeth can be damaged whilst playing sports-

– Hard object contact- a stick or hard ball/puck hitting the teeth generally results in a tooth being chipped
– Soft object contact- eg. elbow, knee, foot- this is more likely to result in tooth displacement

PUBLISHED IN TCI WEEKLY NEWS
17th May 2014

Suffering with a dry mouth is not the same as being thirsty and has different underlying causes. The reason I want to look at the topic of dry mouth is because it can have a negative impact on the health of a patient’s teeth and gums.

We need saliva to moisten and cleanse our mouths and help to digest food. Saliva also prevents infection by controlling bacteria and fungi in the mouth and with patients experiencing a dry mouth there is an increased risk of gingivitis (gum disease), mouth infections and fungal infections such as thrush. When we don’t produce enough saliva, our mouth gets dry and uncomfortable. Other symptoms include frequent thirst, sores in the mouth or split skin at the corners of the mouth, cracked lips, a burning or tingling sensation in the mouth or tongue, a red, raw tongue, problems speaking or difficulty tasting, chewing/ swallowing and bad breath.

PUBLISHED IN TCI WEEKLY NEWS
3rd May 2014

From time to time I have patients enquiring about tongue or lip piercings or teeth grills. For clarity, these are not procedures that a dentist would perform but I thought it was a topic worth discussing in order to outline the potential problems that can occur. As a general rule if you are going to have this type of work done always use a practitioner who has strict hygiene standards, where all tools are sterilized and the environment is clean and tidy.

PUBLISHED IN TCI WEEKLY NEWS
19th April 2014

Pacifiers, soothers or dummies are often used with babies or young children as soothing devices to calm them and help them get to sleep. From personal experience as a dad myself, one of my children as a baby was particularly attached to his dummy at night time, so I know the benefits it can give both baby and parent.

PUBLISHED IN TCI WEEKLY NEWS
5th April 2014

How can smoking affect my oral health?
Most people now know that smoking is bad for their health. It can cause many different health problems and, in some cases, fatal diseases. However, many people don’t realise the damage that smoking can do to their mouth, gums and teeth; smoking can lead to tooth staining, gum disease, tooth loss and – more seriously – mouth cancer.

Why are my teeth stained?
One of the effects of smoking is staining on the teeth due to the nicotine and tar in tobacco. It can make the teeth yellow in a very short time, and heavy smokers often complain that their teeth are almost brown after years of smoking.

PUBLISHED IN TCI WEEKLY NEWS
22nd March 2014

World Health Organisation Guidelines
The subject of sugar and its impact on health is very topical at the moment. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has recently issued revised guidelines for the healthy limit of sugar consumption, reducing this number to 5% of total calories consumed. This is due to the increasing awareness of the link between high-sugar foods and increase in weight gain/obesity and the associated diseases such as heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. WHO is particularly concerned about consumption of ‘free’ sugars. These are defined as sugars that are added to foods by manufacturers, and sugars that are naturally present in fruit juices, fruit concentrates, syrups and honey. Sugary drinks, such as soda, are possibly the most concerning.

PUBLISHED IN TCI WEEKLY NEWS
8th March 2014

Wisdom teeth or third molars are the last teeth to erupt (between the ages of 17 and 25 years) and are located at the back of the mouth. They are called wisdom teeth because they come through much later than the rest of our teeth, at a time when we are supposed to be an adult and therefore ‘wise’! It is usual to have four although some people can have less or occasionally more.

Many people are familiar with the idea of wisdom teeth being removed and indeed it was normal practice in certain countries around thirty years ago for wisdom teeth to be routinely removed. Best practice has moved on since then and now it is recommended that a wisdom tooth should only be removed if the patient is experiencing recurrent infections, several times a year for 2-3 years. If there is no clinical need to remove a wisdom tooth, it should not be removed.